MATLAB Tutorial

Basics of MATLAB Interface

The MATLAB interface is designed for ease of use, offering various tools and options to enhance user productivity. Below, we provide an overview of its main components and functionalities.

Main Components of the MATLAB Interface

When you launch MATLAB, the main interface consists of several key sections:

Command Window: The primary workspace for entering commands and executing scripts.
Workspace: Displays variables created during your session.
Current Folder: Shows files in the current working directory.
Editor: A dedicated space for writing and debugging scripts.
Figure Window: Displays graphical outputs like plots.

Using the Command Window

The Command Window is the heart of MATLAB, where you can enter and execute commands directly. For example:


% Simple calculations in Command Window 

5 + 7   % Outputs 12 

sqrt(16) % Outputs 4 

log(10) % Outputs 2.3026 (natural logarithm)

Output will be:

ans =
    12
ans =
    4
ans =
    2.3026

Working with the Editor

The Editor allows you to write, save, and execute scripts. To create a new script:

Click on New Script in the Home tab.
Write your code.
Save the file with a .m extension.
Run the script using the Run button or the F5 key.

For example, save the following code in a script called example_script.m:


% Example script: Calculate the area of a circle 

radius = 5; 

area = pi * radius^2; 

disp(['The area of the circle is: ', num2str(area)]);

Output will be:

The area of the circle is: 78.5398

Managing the Workspace

The Workspace displays all variables created in the current session. You can use the clear command to remove variables or who to list existing variables.


% Managing the Workspace 

a = 10; 

b = 20; 

who         % Lists variables in the workspace 

clear a     % Removes variable 'a' 

who         % Lists remaining variables

Output will be:

Variables in the current workspace:
    a    b
Variables in the current workspace:
    b

Navigating the Current Folder

The Current Folder panel shows the files in your working directory. You can change the directory using the cd command or by navigating in the Current Folder panel.


% Changing the working directory 

cd('C:\Users\JohnWick\Documents\MATLAB') 

pwd     % Displays the current directory

Output will be:

ans =
    C:\Users\JohnWick\Documents\MATLAB

Plotting and Figure Window

The Figure Window displays graphical outputs like plots. You can create plots using commands such as plot, scatter, and bar.


% Plotting in MATLAB 

x = 0:0.1:2*pi; 

y = sin(x); 

plot(x, y); 

title('Sine Wave'); 

xlabel('x'); 

ylabel('sin(x)');

This will open a new Figure Window displaying a sine wave plot.

Image showing plot of Sine Function generated using Matlab

Shortcuts and Commands

Here are some useful commands for navigating and managing the MATLAB interface:


% Useful MATLAB commands 

clc         % Clears the Command Window 

clear       % Removes all variables from the Workspace 

close all   % Closes all Figure Windows 

help plot   % Displays help documentation for the 'plot' function 

doc plot    % Opens detailed documentation for the 'plot' function

Practice Questions

Test Yourself

1. Create a script to calculate the sum of the first 10 positive integers and display the result.

2. Write a command to plot a cosine wave and label the axes.

3. Use the Command Window to calculate the square root of 144 and clear the result from the Workspace.